Video: So You Think You Can Dance Ailey’s ‘Revelations’?

Alvin Ailey’s 1960 modern dance masterpiece “Revelations” has been performed in 71 countries, and it reliably brings audiences to their feet, even dancing in the aisles. The combination of modern dance and spirituals creates a sense of uplift so infectious that most people leave the theater either singing the music or trying to dance the steps.

Last week, they got a chance to learn those steps for real.

In a free public workshop, fans gathered on Lincoln Center plaza to learn portions of the “Revelations” choreography. Led by former company dancer Nasha Thomas-Schmitt, about 300 people joined to try out three short passages of movement from the sections titled “I’ve Been ‘Buked,” “Wade in the Water” and “Rocka my Soul.”

The company presented similar workshops previously in Houston, Los Angeles and Chicago, where former dancer Renee Robinson said the crowds reacted just as they do when watching the work onstage: “They had all the enthusiasm that happens in the performances.”

New York’s first “Revelations” workshop drew dancers of all ages, from Jordan Lange, 12 years old, wearing ballet shoes and neon-green shorts, to Lois Kaufmann, 58, who came with friends from her dance class. Even a few folks in their gala finery tried a few moves before heading into the Koch Theater, where the company is onstage through June 22.

Former Ailey company dancers Nasha Thomas-Schmitt, left, and Renee Robinson, are pictured leading the workshop.